ten bucks says we die by midnight
by soldier against the numbers
Summary: P3(P), P4(G), Nyarlathotep. The chaos creeps on.


**Summary: **P3(P), P4(G), Nyarlathotep. The chaos creeps on.

**Note:** So we had fog this one time in the morning over at school, and the fun part was, WE WERE IN THE TROPICS. Quoth /gag/6694121 on 9gag, the world now has zero logic.

**Note:** I actually took time to perfect this. I believe it came out well.

**Note:** Four pages.

**Anime Crack of the Day:** Psycho-Pass, Blood-C: The Last Dark

* * *

**ten bucks says we die by midnight**

* * *

Igor wipes his face with the handkerchief he usually keeps in his breast pocket.

He is not in the Velvet Room. Not anymore. Ever since the end of Inaba's Fool's journey, he has been here. Actually, he has been here longer than that. He has been frequenting this place ever since Philemon left him in charge.

Igor has left Margaret in charge, for now.

Theodore and Elizabeth don't have the kind of discipline or restraint Magraret has. The former two are more children than professionals.

And then again maybe Igor is thankful for such things.

We cannot say where he is with full certainty. There is darkness and light, imagination and reality, death and life. There is no set look to the place he stands in; it is a mess.

A mess.

Thus, chaotic.

Chaos.

There is a look of irritation on the Velvet Room's Master's face.

There is laughter. It is uneven. Chaotic. Igor knows this voice. Has known since he was.

Nyarlathotep is awake; Igor is running out of time.

* * *

The sea of soul stars roils, and the siblings find they can do nothing.

Malice claws wildly at the door, roaring profanity and anger and despair.

The gouge marks are too deep. Elizabeth moves first, face pale as it always is, eyes wide and unblinking. Theodore watches his sister summon a metal-mawed Persona.

"Megidolaon."

It misses, grazing Malice's back. It does not look to the visitors.

Elizabeth does not take this lightly. Theodore wonders if her anger is what makes her aim shot, but then again...

"Megidolaon!"

Another volley of light, but it fails to connect. And the next, and the next and the next.

"Megidolaon, Megidolaon, _Megidolaon_―!"

Next. Next. Next.

Next.

Next.

Next.

Theodore sighs wearily, summons Helel.

"Morning Star."

It manages to connect. Erebus pauses. Then it sets its blood-red gaze on the Velvet Assistants. It growls.

Elizabeth takes shallow breaths.

"Get. Out," she grinds though her teeth. A flash of red―was that his imagination?―crosses her eyes, and Erebus roars again, this time with jubilance.

The malice screams human fear and anger. It takes one last swipe at the Great Seal, then takes its leave, screeching and sending ripples through the cosmos.

Elizabeth is livid. She pushes her hat back in its proper place, atop her head, daintily. Or not. She makes her way over to the golden double doors.

"Sister...?"

Elizabeth says nothing, only touches the cheek of the statue on the left-hand side. She sighs wearily, just like her brother, and catches herself.

Elizabeth opens her grimoire to the last page, and Theodore does the same.

* * *

Naoto Shirogane: "It's fogging outside."

Yosuke Hanamura: "We get it. It's been all over town ever since morning."

Chie Satonaka: "I'm just glad we're indoors... I hope no one's out there."

The Investigation Team of Inaba, sans Yu Narukami, is hanging around the Dojimas' living room. Naoto is looking through the glass partition, the rest of the girls are sipping tea, and the boys are scattered around the room: Yosuke's sprawled on the couch, Kanji's near the kitchen table, Teddie sits cross-legged on the floor.

Rise Kujikawa: "Doesn't this make you feel nostalgic?"

Naoto: "Nostalgic, yes. Worried, that too."

Everyone is silent.

Teddie: "Come on, guys, it's probably that global roasting or something! Nothing to worry about."

Chie: "...It's global _warming_, Teddie."

Yukiko Amagi: "...What if there _is_ something to worry about?"

Kanji Tatsumi: "But Senpai, we already beat down the Sagiri, and helped out Marie... what more could we do? It's probably just some freak climate change, no doubt. 'S been happening all over the planet."

Naoto nods absently.

Naoto: "The tropics are experiencing this too, but..."

Naoto shakes her head.

Everything is silent once again, but there is a certain unease that comes with palpable worry. The Investigation Team is looking out the glass partition separating the inside from the outside.

Teddie: "...Guys?"

Everyone looks at the blonde sitting up ramrod straight.

Teddie: "Where's Nanako-chan?"

The panic starts then.

* * *

The pair comes stumbling out of the alley, one in killer heel boots and another in an oversized fedora.

They pause at its mouth, watching the everyday passersby go about on their jobs. The housewives talking about Aohige Pharmacy's latest on-sale products, that tubby guy still at it in the arcade, an old man persuading young adults to find a cutie to be with... and a pig of a student eating chips by the fountainside.

The one in the fedora, a man looking to be in his late teens, mumbles something like "doesn't finish it so fast anymore" or something to that effect. The one in the boots, obviously a woman, taps her foot to the sounds of people chatting.

"I don't understand how women can live with these shoes," she tells her companion. "I can't possibly hope to run in these, let alone walk."

The man tears his eyes away from the scene in the mall. "If it's any consolation, I don't either." A pause. "And can you not have that bogus British accent? And your voice is too high."

"Why not? I always wanted to mimick Liz."

The man says nothing to this.

The woman sends a wistful look the man's way. She waits for him a while, looking out over the people milling about in Paulownia Mall. She doesn't tap a blue boot to the sound of daily chatter. She stares with gold eyes, unblinking.

"Nothing's changed," they say at the same time.

She smiles, he smiles. He holds out an arm, and she takes it.

"I wanna see Aigis too, but just slow down, alright?"

* * *

Yu Narukami holds on to Nanako Dojima's hand as they peer into fog. They look around, narrowing or shading their eyes to see better. They can't, so the pair move on to conversation.

"I can't believe you made it all the way here from piano recital."

"I couldn't wait! I really really really wanted to see you, Big Bro!"

Yu Narukami smiles.

"...Big Bro, what's that?"

The "that" Nanako-chan is referring to are the the beams of light slicing into thick fog. There should be zero visibility, but it is happening.

"What...?"

The sound of a car engine drifts in; he confirms it is a car. And he can guess exactly what car it is. With dread, he resigns himself to the fact that this may turn out to be something resembling his most recent Golden Week. He prays it doesn't.

The car shudders to a slow crawl, and even before the ignition switches off completely, a figure tumbles out in a flash of blue and gold.

Margaret stumbles into Yu's arms. She catches him by the hand.

Margaret's hands shake. Yu starts to worry.

"Margaret?"

A shaky breath. Then, "Help me."

Yu can feel the sleeves of his jacket crinkling.

"Help us." A full-on sob. "Please," and she slinks to the ground, only held up by Yu's hands on her wrists.

It _does_ mean something like Golden Week, but Yu is too distracted to care.

* * *

Mitsuru Kirijo owes a legacy to her father, and she must pay it with all her heart.

She is, for now, excused from Shadow Operative duties. Akihiko is still scouring the world for worthy (or worthy-enough) opponents. Aigis and Labrys are in the underground rooms for maintenance.

Mitsuru checks her gold wristwatch. Ten to five. She yawns. Maybe a cup of coffee would be nice... Shinjiro makes them better than any old coffee shop in town. She gets up to leave, crosses the threshold. The intercom buzzes to life.

"MI~TSU~RU~!"

"Hands off my sister!"

There comes a thwack, like bone crunching underneath fabric. Mitsuru winces involuntarily, not because of the sounds of a scuffle, but because of the two voices scrambling for airtime in the middle of the fight. She turns slowly, cranes her neck to look at the device stationed on her desk.

"Mitsuru-chan!" (Another involuntary wince; Mitsuru likes cute things, she told Minako as much and the nickname was the result) "Have you seen―YA!―Aigis? And... Shinji―HANDS OFF, B―"

More sounds of a tousle in the background, with Minako's voice reigning strong.

Mitsuru pushes a button on the intercom.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

"I'll take a hot chocolate."

Shinjiro Aragaki turns to tell the paying customer that it would be a thousand or so yen for a cup, but then freezes at the same time he manages to salvage the information from his memory banks.

A sugar-sweet smile is the first thing he sees. The rest comes after.

...

...

...

"Shinji? Shinji, you OK? Have you gone into shock?"

* * *

Aigis shuts down, or at least partly.

"Aigis? Hey, Aigis! S'matter with you?" Labrys's gun is trained on the intruder. "Aigis! Aigis! ...Aigis?"

Aigis runs to the blond intruder and tackles him to the ground.

"Way to go, Ai... gis...?"

Aigis trembles, holding the intruder like a precious treasure. The intruder hugs back, stroking Aigis's back and mumbling soft words in her ear.

Little-big sisters were confusing.

* * *

In a velvet room, Fools and a Velvet Assistant convene.

Margaret: "Is everyone in attendance?"

Minako and Minato Arisato: "Yup."

Shinjiro Aragaki: "...Mm."

Aigis: "All present and accounted for."

Yu Narukami: "Yes."

Margaret: "Then, we shall begin."

The Assistant opens her grimoire, and then they are transported to the Chaos Dimension.


End file.
